Dave's Daily Devo - July 8

They who sow with tears, will harvest with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping carrying seeds will return with shouts of joy carrying sheaves.” - Psalm 126:5-6

When Danny finished his message in the afternoon chapel at the Bible Institute on Jeju Island, South Korea, we all felt like dancing for joy. He grew up in Southern Asia in a family of eleven. Islam was the majority religion, and he was definitely part of the majority. Mention “Christian” and the hatred burned. Then as a teen he stood in the back of a room, leaning against the wall, as a missionary shared from John 3:16 about God’s love and the fact that He gave His one and only Son. Tears came to Danny’s eyes, but he ran out. Anger still controlled him, and he wasn’t ready to trust Jesus. When his rage caused him to beat up his brother, he knew he could never conquer the lion inside. Soon after, he opened his heart to the Gospel.

Gifted in Computer Science, he came to the U.S. for college, got married, landed a good job, and had a precious daughter. He was living the American dream, but then returning from a relaxing day fishing with his daughter, suddenly a driver asleep at the wheel hit his car, taking his daughter’s life and threatening his own.

Danny definitely had the students’ attention. “My face looked like pizza. The surgeons opened me up like they were cleaning a chicken. To save my foot they cut half of it off and screwed the rest together. They gave me a ten percent chance, but I lived and my anger began to smolder again. I hated the man who took my daughter’s life, but Jesus wasn’t present just to heal me physically. He moved me to pray for the reckless driver and eventually to forgive him.

Danny stopped and then drove his message home. “I do believe that God works all things together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). And because of the accident I rediscovered what God’s purpose actually is. Right after the resurrection, Jesus declared that all authority belonged to Him. Then He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). This wasn’t a suggestion. It’s a command.

Danny is obeying this command. The reason he was on Jeju was to make arrangements for a team to come and share the Gospel on the Island.

Lord, in Psalm 126 the nations marveled over the fact that Cyrus took Babylon without a shot in 538 B.C. and then decreed that the Israelites could go back home. Lord, help me to go out to the nations and tell them they can find a home with you through Your Son. Help me not to expect them to come, but help me to go and connect and live with them, embodying by my life and by my words the power of the Gospel.